kitchennightmares

'MTV's Top Pop Group' (10PM, MTV) series premiere Hmmm, we really liked this series the first time MTV did it ... when it was called 'Making the Band.'

OK, OK, this show's a little different; now, instead of the focus being on one group of would-be boy band-ers, the competition finds 12 groups duking it out for a $100,000 prize as they try to prove they're the next big singing and dancing pop wonders.

But first, John McCain has to make it official tonight, as he accepts the Republican party bid for himself and his Tina Fey-lookalike running mate Sarah Palin.

McCain's speech wraps up the RNC in St. Paul, meaning both Team Obama/Biden and Team McCain/Palin can now focus all their energies on the two-month race to the White House. May the best men -- or co-ed team -- win.

It's no secret: I'm the only non-U.S. blogger here at TV Squad. I live in Quebec City, the capital of Canada's French province. Living here means that I have access to American, Canadian, and French-Canadian TV channels on basic cable. Canadian and American TV lineups are pretty much alike, especially since a lot of the U.S. shows also air on the Canadian airwaves. But French-Canadian TV is somewhat different than the two other ones because of the language, the culture, etc. However, the influence of American TV can be felt throughout the French-Canadian lineup. One of the main areas influenced by U.S. TV is reality programming.

Reality TV, like it or not, is definitely a major part of TV today all around the world. A lot of the U.S. reality shows originated in other countries, while some U.S. shows made their way around the world. In Canada, we have our own version of American Idol and America's Next Top Model, for example. In Quebec, there is a singing competition, Star Académie, not unlike Idol and a Big Brother-like show too and some U.S. reality shows are dubbed. That got me thinking, what are the reality shows that are watched elsewhere around the globe?

Well, she's making over America one salon at a time. The former Shear Genius contestant will be saving America's hair stylists in Tabatha's Salon Takeover. She'll visit salons on both coasts that are in dire need of her direction. Coffey has just a week to work her magic.

This is the "hair version" of Kitchen Nightmares. The press release goes on to say that her comments are mean and jarring. The salon owners and employees probably won't like her at first. But they'll realize that it's her passion and intensity that "drives her sincere quest to turn these salons around." After one week with Coffey, who started as a salon assistant when she was 14-years-old, we'll see dramatic results. Coffey will also recommend people to be fired and tell some of the better stylists that they should raise their rates. Kitchen Nightmares, right? I'm not saying I wouldn't give this a try though. I like Kitchen Nightmares.

FOX announced its plans for the 2008-2009 season today. Here are the highlights:

Returning:The Moment of Truth, So You Think You Can Dance, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Bones, Cops, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Hell's Kitchen, House, King of the Hill, Kitchen Nightmares, MADtv, The Moment of Truth, Prison Break, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 'Til Death

Out: Back To You, Canterbury's Law, K-Ville, Nashville, New Amsterdam, Next Great American Band, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched

Victoria Beckham, a.k.a. Posh Spice, would have to go a long way to be compared to the foul-mouthed, in-your-face TV chef Gordon Ramsay, but that's what Fox TV is hoping for if they want her proposed new show, Fashion Nightmares, to ape Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The net is talking with the former Spice Girl and fashion "scion" with her dvb Style denim brand to do a show in the style of Kitchen Nightmares. In that US version of the BBC hit, the chef goes to troubled restaurants and diagnoses what's wrong and how they must fix it. Ramsay's way includes many expletives deleted and mucho histronics. Like the UK version, Fox's US variation has been a hit.

I didn't know much about chef Gordon Ramsay and his TV work until I had the chance to watch the latest season of Hell's Kitchen over the summer. Even if I'm not the greatest cook around, I did enjoy the series and its colorful chef. Having been entertained by Ramsay's tantrums unique style of mentoring and coaching chefs to be, I was looking forward to this fall's Kitchen Nightmares. A few weeks after the premiere, I must admit that I'm hooked to Ramsay's latest reality serving.

The network has ordered another season of the Gordon Ramsay restaurant show Kitchen Nightmares. The show is in its first season right now, and is actually doing rather well considering it has been up against the hype of the new Bionic Woman, Criminal Minds, and the Grey's Anatomy spinoff Private Practice. This means we'll see a lot of Ramsay on FOX in the future, since Hell's Kitchen is on the network and does well in the ratings too.

The debut of the NBC remake actually gained viewers throughout the 9pm hour while Private Practice lost some, though it was a battle. Overall, NBC was second on the night with Deal or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life (which lost a lot of viewers halfway through). CBS was third with a new Kid Nation and the season premieres of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY. FOX was fourth with new eps of Back To You, 'Til Death, and Kitchen Nightmares. Bringing up the rear as usual was The CW, with new episodes of America's Next Top Model and Gossip Girl.

Click the link above for all the hour by hour numbers and stats by demographic.

After weeks of swearing and tempers flaring, Hell's Kitchen crowned its winner. Last night's installment of FOX's culinary competition saw finalists Bonnie, a nanny/personal chef, and Rock, an executive chef, run their own kitchen for an entire meal. Both chefs did not only create the menu and decoration of their own side of the Hell's Kitchen restaurant, but they also had to show their leadership skills while managing a team composed of past participants.

In a press release sent out today, FOX revealed the premiere dates of both its returning shows and five new additions. Most returning series are back in their old timeslots. However, a lot are paired with a different series than they were during the 2006-2007 season.